Education ViVA

Folkloops
Lincoln Drill Hall
3 December 2008

"The music I heard was astonishing!" - Participant, Priory Academy LSST

Following the success of Journeys in 2007, sinfonia ViVA returned to the Drill Hall in December 2008 for another collaborative creative music project FolkLoops. The project involved over 90 students from Monks Abbey Primary School, St Faith and St Martin C of E Junior School and Lincoln Christ's Hospital School who worked alongside a sinfonia ViVA team led by James Redwood to create original music.

"I enjoyed helping to compose the bit I played." - Participant, Priory Academy LSST

"[My favourite part was] that we got to work with other schools." - Participant, Monks Abbey Primary School

The project took John Adams' Shaker Loops and Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring as the starting point for creating new material and both pieces were performed by sinfonia ViVA in the final performance at the Lincoln Drill. These pieces were performed by the ViVA musicians and interspersed with original material which was created by the young people during the project.

"Appalachian Spring – that was my favourite!." - Participant, Monks Abbey Primary School

"It was great being so close to a live orchestra and performing our song." - Participant, Monks Abbey Primary School

One of the inspirations for the project was a folk song Lord Bateman which was sung by Lincolnshire folk singer Joseph Taylor and recorded by Percy Grainger in 1908. The young people were taught a new version of the song about Joseph Taylor which was written by their own teachers during a planning session.

"My favourite part was when we had to sing there was a man name of Joseph Taylor." - Participant, Monks Abbey Primary School

During the workshop sessions the young people from St Faith and St Martin Junior School, Monks Abbey Primary School and Lincoln Priory Academy LSST worked alongside composer James Redwood and ViVA musicians Dave Ayre and Nic Fallowfield to create new songs and instrumental pieces taking the Copland, Adams and Lord Bateman as a starting point.

"The team's obvious enthusiasm for these pieces was infectious." - Dave Ayre, ViVA musician

The project culminated in an integrated performance at the Lincoln Drill Hall during which the young people performed alongside sinfonia ViVA.

"I liked the finale where all the schools performed on their instruments." - Participant, Monks Abbey Primary School

"I really enjoyed not just listening to it but actually watching the performance live." - Participant, Priory Academy LSST

FolkLoops was supported by Rolls-Royce plc, Orchestras Live, Lincoln City Council, Lincoln Drill Hall, Lincolnshire County Council, Yorkshire and Clydesdale Bank Foundation, Kochan Trust, J W Wright Trust and Arts Council England

"It was an inspiring performance." - Participant, Monks Abbey Primary School

Images from the project...